Hodgson's Treecreeper

Overview

Hodgson's treecreeper (Certhia hodgsoni) is a small passerine bird found in the southern rim of the Himalayas. It is a distinct species that was recently validated as separate from the common treecreeper (Certhia familiaris).

Identification

• Length of 12.5 cm with a drab, brownish appearance featuring lighter and darker streaks above and off-white underparts and supercilium.
• Distinguished from the common treecreeper by being browner above with a contrasting rufous rump.
• Possesses a long, curved bill and long, stiff tail feathers.
• Song begins with two 'shree' calls, followed by warbling notes and up- and downslurring sounds, dropping in pitch from 7.5 kHz to 4 kHz over 2 to 2.5 seconds.

Habitat

Found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan, this species inhabits temperate to cool tropical montane forests. It is mostly resident in coniferous woodlands but may move to oak or rhododendron areas in winter, such as moist Bhutan fir forests at 3,000 to 4,000 meters in Bhutan.

Diet

The bird creeps up vertical tree trunks to find arthropod prey, a movement enabled by its stiff tail feathers.

Did you know?

The English and scientific names of the species commemorate Brian Houghton Hodgson, a 19th-century English naturalist and ethnologist who worked in British India.